State Dept opens Benghazi consulate attack probe

FILE - This Sept. 12, 2012 file photo shows Libyans walking on the grounds of the gutted U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya, after an attack that killed four Americans, including Ambassador Chris Stevens. An independent panel appointed by Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton is opening its inquiry into the attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya, amid demands from Congress for speedy answers to questions about the security of the mission and concerns that the FBI investigation into the incident has been delayed.

Ibrahim Alaguri, File, Associated Press

Summary

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton is pledging a full and transparent inquiry into the attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya, that killed the U.S. ambassador to Libya and three other Americans.

WASHINGTON — Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton is pledging a full and transparent inquiry into the attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya, that killed the U.S. ambassador to Libya and three other Americans.

The probe comes as Congress is demanding speedy answers to questions about the security of the mission amid concerns that the FBI investigation into the incident has been delayed.

An independent five-member panel appointed by Clinton will begin this week looking at whether security at the consulate was adequate and whether proper procedures were followed before and during the Sept. 11 attack.

Republican lawmakers claim security was inadequate. Two House leaders have asserted that the State Department denied repeated requests from U.S. diplomats in Libya to enhance security at the mission.